Ok, so I've been playing for about 8 years now. But in that time, only about two years have actually seen me improve. I'm knee-deep in the metal scene in charlotte and all the friends I make talk exclusively in theory and tabs. I never managed to learn anything about music theory and tabs are hard for me to read. My learning has always been through feeling the notes and patterns on the fretboard. So If I cant see where that next note is, I'm completely lost and derailed, which makes writing and learning new material hard. What I'm asking is, Is this a common issue that can be circumvented? Or do I have to bite down and find a way to hammer the theory into my skull?

Everybody absorbs a bit of theory as they go on; sometimes without realising it. Sooner or later, if you only play by feel you're going to hit a brick wall and stop developing. Anybody famous and good who says they only play by feel is telling you lies.

There are some easily digestible lessons on this site which will help you with theory. Start with "Theory Without Tears" by David Hodge - anything by David is pretty good.

"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger
"I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk